Justice Department outlines gun measures

The Justice Department is unveiling a series of steps aimed at reducing gun violence, including directives aimed at bolstering the system used to conduct background checks on would-be gun buyers.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be sending letters to governors and state attorneys general nationwide urging states to submit more complete data to the federal system, including details on the outcome of criminal cases, officials said on Monday.

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Sessions has also directed federal prosecutors across the country to step up prosecutions of individuals found to have lied on applications to buy firearms. And he announced that the Justice Department would prioritize grant funds for police departments seeking to train armed officers to be located at schools — something President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged after the school shooting in Florida last month that killed 17 people.

“No child should have to fear going to school or walking the streets of their neighborhood,” the attorney general said in a statement. “We are increasing the number of school resource officers, improving background checks and more aggressively prosecuting those who illegally attempt to purchase a firearm, and reviewing and enhancing the way our law enforcement agencies respond to tips from the public.”

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Some of the steps were previously announced by the White House or have been priorities of the Justice Department for some time.

Sessions has said since he took over as attorney general last year that he wanted to see more prosecutions of those lying in the background check process. On Monday, he senta letter to U.S. Attorneys, ordering them to meet with the top agent at the local Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office and coordinate on boosting prosecution of so-called lie-and-try cases.

“Criminals and other prohibited persons who attempt to thwart the background check process by lying on the required forms threaten to undermine this important crime prevention tool,” Sessions wrote. “Such conduct cannot be tolerated. “We must vigilantly protect the integrity of the background check system through appropriate prosecution of those who attempt to circumvent the law.”

The Justice Department is also offering up to $1 million in emergency grant funding to Broward County and other jurisdictions that responded to the shooting at the high school in Parkland, Florida, last month.

When awarding new grants to states and localities, the Justice Department is also vowing to prioritize applications seeking funding for so-called school resource officers. However, it’s unclear how much money will be affected because Congress has yet to fund public safety grant programs for the current fiscal year.